1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to hand and hoist-line implements.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are many different types of hand and hoist-line implements, such as a carabiner. Carabiners are often used with ropes for activities, such as climbing and hoisting. Examples of carabiners can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,811,467, 5,005,266, 5,210,914, 5,463,798, 6,588,076 and 6,715,898. A carabiner includes a gate, which is typically manually opened and closed by a person who moves the gate with his or her hand. There are many different types of gates that can be included with a carabiner, such as a non-locking gate and a locking gate. Examples of non-locking gates include a straight gate, wire gate and oval gate. Examples of locking gates include a screw-lock gate and a twist-lock gate. A twist lock gate can be unlocked by a person who twists as spring-loaded sleeve. The twist lock gate is locked in response to the person letting go of the sleeve so that it springs back into place to lock the gate. One problem with locking and unlocking a typical twist-lock gate is that the person has to be able to reach it with his or her hand.